TEMPO.CO, Jakarta-Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry will disclose an online data of the unconditional cash transfer (UCT) beneficiaries in marine and fisheries sector. The app has been developed to improve transparency of cash transfer to the public which can be accessed by anyone in real time.

Secretary General of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister Sjarief Widjaja said the access to the data will facilitate monitoring process. Thus anyone can detect if the cash transfer program has been received by the intended target. “The application is useful as control check of the public on prospective beneficiaries in 2016,” said Sjarief in Jakarta, last week.

Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry is planned to publish the data of the beneficiaries in two week’s time.

Director General of Capture Fisheries of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry Narmoko Prasmadji explained that the app is made for information transparency and as a tool to monitor and evaluate the cash transfer distribution. “The government has an obligation to provide social assistance that is right on target,” he said.

The app contains comprehensive data of cash transfer beneficiaries in fisheries sector in 2015 and 2016 for public verification. The app can soon be accessed through Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry website, www.kkp.go.id.

In this year’s budget utilization, the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister has saved Rp2.9 trillion from Rp13.8 trillion of 2016 Revised State Budget Draft Bill to support government’s mission of saving state budget. “We have saved Rp2.9 trillion of 2016 budget without undermining the output,” Sjarief explained.

Syarif asserted that the saving policy will not reduce the fund for the cash transfer program, it will cut less important budgets instead, for example, budgets for seminars.

DEVY ERNIS